Armored personnel carriers of the type employing rubber tires, as distinguished from tracklaying vehicles, have been produced in several countries for many years. Such vehicles include the "MOWAG" which is manufactured in Switzerland and the "COMMANDO" which is manufactured by the Cadillac Gage Company in the United States. See "Encyclopedia of Armored Cars and Half-Tracks", published by Chartwell Books, Inc. of Secaucus, N.J., pages 120 and 130.
The "COMMANDO" is a four-wheel vehicle having a unitized hull constructed of light, high-hardness steel and displacing sufficient volume to float. Driven by its own cleated tires, the vehicle is capable of maneuvering in lakes and streams at low speeds. The engine is located to the rear of the hull and gas tanks and other equipment are located near the front.
Six-wheel type armored vehicles, also currrently manufactured in several countries, are advantageous in that an extra set of wheels disposed intermediate the front and rear wheels provide added traction, added stability and maneuverability in driving over uneven terrain and obstacles.
Previous six-wheel type armored vehicles suffer from one or more disadvantages however. For example, the extra set of wheels disposed between the front and rear wheels complicates the task of laying out the interior of the hull. The engine must be placed at a location which provides optimum height distribution on the wheels, however, the choice of engine placement is severely limited by the overall hull design and the necessity for locating the driver in an optimum driving position, as well as the need for accommodating power plant items such as fuel tanks, cooling systems and drive trains. In the past, these objectives have been achieved only at the expense of reducing the amount of usable interior space within the hull which is devoted to transporting personnel and their equipment.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a six-wheel armored vehicle having an improved hull construction which yields a maximum volume of usable interior space while providing for optimum placement of the engine and driver's station.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle of the type mentioned above in which the nose of the hull is configured to deflect ballistic fire, but yet which exposes the steerable front wheel to water ahead of the vehicle so as to act as rudders for improving swimming maneuverability.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle as described above in which the engine is located near the front of the hull, but yet is provided with engine cooling air inlets and air exhausts in the top of the hull and behind the engine.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an armored vehicle as described above having a fuel storage tank comprising a plurality of fuel cells formed integral with the vehicle hull at the rear of the vehicle.
These and further objects of the invention will be made clear or will become apparent during the course of the following description.